In this Chapter

EATING VEGAN IS ABOUT MORE THAN FOOLPROOF RECIPES

In addition to fail-safe recipes, eating vegan is about smart shopping for ingredients, knowing which seemingly vegan items might actually be nonvegan, and a lot more. The more you know about the vegan diet, the more you'll look forward to abiding by it.

6 Things You Should Know Before Eating Vegan

There are still a lot of misconceptions surrounding the vegan diet—that it’s limiting; that it’s expensive and requires its adherents to purchase a slew of specialty (and often processed) ingredients, like vegan cheese; that it’s all raw vegetables and bland tofu; the list goes on. Don’t let those myths deter you! If you’re interested in eating vegan (whether it’s full-time or part-time), here are some things you should know. READ THE ARTICLE

What Is Aquafaba?

If you ever use canned chickpeas, you’ve seen (and likely thrown away!) one of the most useful ingredients in vegan baking. Here’s everything you need to know about aquafaba. READ THE ARTICLE

3 Common Ingredients You Think Are Vegan That Might Not Be

Adering to a strict vegan diet is tough, especially in the age of additives and highly processed foods. Just because you’re avoiding the products that are obviously derived from animals—such as meat, cheese, eggs—doesn’t mean you aren’t consuming ingredients that are secretly nonvegan. Sugar, some pasta noodles, and wine, though seemingly vegan, might not actually be. READ THE ARTICLE

A Beginner’s Guide to Eating and Shopping for Tofu

We’ve heard it before: Tofu is bland and boring. If you’re of this mindset, you’re probably just not doing it right. (Note: tofu is not just for vegetarians and vegans. When seasoned and cooked properly, tofu can be as delicious as any other protein, and can display a range of meaty textures.) If you're not currently a tofu eater, keep an open mind: you might just end up loving the stuff. READ THE ARTICLE

What Is Tempeh?

Though tempeh isn’t quite as popular as tofu, it is a mainstay of many vegetarian and vegan diets (and is particularly popular in Southeast Asia). Like tofu, this vegan protein is versatile and is great in everything from sandwiches to stir-fries. So, what is it exactly? READ THE ARTICLE

How We Made the Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

When it came to developing a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe for our latest publication, Vegan for Everybody, we weren’t willing to settle for anything less than perfection. We caught up with Anne Wolf, the test cook responsible for delivering on those high expectations, to talk about the choices she made—and the 79 batches she baked—en route to arriving at a recipe that’s as good as the real thing. READ THE ARTICLE

8 Photos of Delectable, Mouth-Watering Dishes (That Also Just Happen to Be Vegan)

Vegan fare tends to get a bad rap. Those unfamiliar with the diet may think vegan food is too bland, or that it lacks complexity. Well, neither assessment could be further from the truth. Need proof? Check out these stunning photographs pulled from our book about vegan cooking. READ THE ARTICLE

On Being Vegan and Working at America’s Test Kitchen

Being a vegan in the test kitchen had always been difficult—until we started work on developing a cookbook for vegans. READ THE ARTICLE

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